Abstract

This article explains a philosophy of mental health in the light of human dignity and flourishing from the perspective of a Catholic Christian meta-model of the person (meta-model). It conceptualizes healing as the search to attain wholeness of health, flourishing, and holiness through integrated practices at biophysical, emotional, mental, moral, social, and spiritual levels. Healing attains positive change consistent with human nature and flourishing through intra- and interpersonal sources. The paper uses the meta-model as a framework for integration and makes explicit the presuppositions of a philosophical anthropology and ethics that synthesize insights from psychology, philosophy, and theology. It compares the metamodel to contemporary human sciences and ethics, such as that of positive psychology and confirms a value-, virtue-, and vocation-based approach to understand a Catholic philosophy of mental health and bioethics.